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No More Squats Part 3


Depending who you talk to this week I am a genius or just an idiot. In case you have been under a rock Pat Beith, my partner in Functional Strength Coach 3.0, posted a video clip he called The Death of Squatting. The clip is the talk of the internet forums.  I just want to take a moment to clarify. As I said last week, I did not make this decision on a whim. I have been thinking about this concept for years. Look at the definition of the word transducer below:

Transducer- An element or device which receives information in the form of one quantity and converts it to information in the form of the same or another quantity

The conclusion I arrived at is that the back is a poor transducer. The back actually prevents the legs from being fully worked in the vast majority of the population. The act of squatting terminates when the lumbar spine can no longer effectively bear or transfer load. I have watched thousands ( maybe millions) of squats and rarely have I seen the legs fail. It is always the back. As a result, single leg work just makes sense. Take a minute and read the article if you haven’t already done so.

PS- We haven’t stopped doing bilateral exercises or, lifting heavy weights. We still Trap Bar Deadlift and Olympic lift. I also think that bilateral exercise is crucial for beginners. However, if you have experienced athletes and you want to keep them healthy and get them strong consider the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat.

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This entry was posted on October 30, 2009 at 1:41 am and is filed under Core training, Injuries, Low Back Pain, Media, Random Thoughts, Training, Training Females, Youth Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

15 Responses to “No More Squats Part 3”

  1. Shackett Says:
    October 22, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    What would you expect from a meat head

  2. mboyle1959 Says:
    August 18, 2010 at 11:16 am

    I think at 50 I’m way past a great squat workout.

  3. tangsum Says:
    August 17, 2010 at 5:01 pm

    Mr. Boyles, I would like you to train legs with me some day and I will prove to you that squats are the best exercise for low body BAR NONE.

  4. mboyle1959 Says:
    March 3, 2010 at 11:08 am

    You can’t imagine the forces. I need to post them.

  5. Jeremy Says:
    March 3, 2010 at 10:15 am

    Very interesting input on the matter. I was actually big on box-squatting but realized that it might be too much pressure on the spine as you are ‘sitting’ down with 500+ lbs on your back.

    Thanks for the information, it really makes sense.

  6. mboyle1959 Says:
    November 3, 2009 at 7:49 am

    There is a great pro and con thread right now at http://www.strengthcoach.com. One of the things I said is that I have watched between 1-2 million squats so i did not come to this conclusion quickly or easily.

  7. mscottdpt Says:
    November 3, 2009 at 7:23 am

    Coach,

    I have to say that when I first saw the video, and read the post (I still need to read the article) I was skeptical, but after reading your responses I now understand your thoughts a little better. I do agree with your statement that when training (or rehabbing in my case) beginners, two feet on the ground is the best approach. Also, I could not agree more with the idea that for “advanced athletes” single leg work is more functional.

    Also, please keep questioning the way things are done, for even if all of us do not agree, we still benefit from another point of view.

    Mike Scott, DPT

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